Hallie Croom, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of melanoma at age 24, had surgery and has been cancer free for about 15 years. She is pictured with her son, Lawler Croom, who is now 2 years old. (Photo courtesy Hallie Croom)

MOBILE, Alabama -- Hallie Croom was 24 when a doctor diagnosed a small black spot on her chest and another on her back as advanced stage melanomas, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Surgeons were soon at work to remove them.

“Because we caught it in time, it’s 15 years later and I’m still around and cancer free,” Croom said. “Usually, people diagnosed with what I had only live for two years.”

Croom goes for checkups every six months to make sure the cancer has not returned.

“There were no symptoms,” she said. “It was so silent. I think that’s the scary thing. You don’t feel poorly.”

About a million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed a year, health statistics show. Those will involve about 76,250 new melanomas, according to the American Cancer Society.

To raise awareness of the issue, area doctors are assisting in a series of melanoma screenings planned from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The screenings will help determine whether someone’s suspicious mole or growth merits a closer look.

The screenings will take place at ProHealth Fitness Center on the campus of Mobile Infirmary off Spring Hill Avenue. They are free and open to the public, although appointments are required.

Dr. Lee Thompson, a surgical oncologist, is one of those joining in the screenings: “It’s so much easier to treat when it’s thin and in the early stages. If it’s no longer confined to the skin it becomes much more challenging.”

Thompson said that people typically ignore a lot of small lesions on their skin because “they don’t think there is much to them.”

Incidence rates for melanoma have been rising for at least 30 years, a phenomenon often attributed to sun exposure. The aggressive cancer will cause about 9,180 deaths this year, according to statistics from the American Cancer Society.

Thompson urges people to use common sense while being out in the sun: “And if you have unusual spots, seek attention early,” he said.

The 38-year-old Croom, meanwhile, enlists a team to scan her for signs of cancer. She routinely has a dentist check her mouth, a retina specialist inspect her eyes and an internist look inside her ears. “My hairstylist checks my scalp,” she said.